Thursday, August 20, 2015

your dog is a WHAT

The shelter here he was adopted said he is a corgi mix.
Mom says he is brown, short, long and has no idea what all is in there.

Now, when she went to BlogPaws in May, she got a chance to take a tour at Mars Global Center. As part of the tour, she got a bag full of Mars products....dog treats, Tempations (yummy), Sheba (she fed the kittens that), and other stuff. Including - a Wisdom Panel. Now THAT got her excited! She had said before that she wanted to DNA test the dog and here was her chance!

Of course, to do that you do need to have access to the dog, so last time she went visiting, she took the test. It was easy to register online. Grandpa told her to do it in her name since she was going to talk about it. Then you have to get the sample from the dog....it is as simple as opening the swabs, roll each around under the cheek, let it dry and mail it off. (there would be pictures but mom forgot to take her camera - of course)

Mom got an email the same day telling her the test was activated and then another email telling her it was received and being processed. From there is states it will take 2-3 weeks. We got the results in about 14 days.

In the meantime....why test?
For some people it is merely curiosity. At the Mars facility, they use it to determine the background of their testing panel dogs so that they can help enrich their lives. For example, if you have a hound, then you can help enrich their surroundings with sights and smells to keep them interested. For each different predominate breed, you can do everything possible to keep them engaged. For others, it is about breed restrictions and legislation....for example being able to tell your local animal control that in fact your dog is NOT a pit bull.

Well.....the results are in.
The panel lists the 3 predominant breeds. However there are no percentages which mom found kind of disappointing. If you think about it....predominant simply means that those 3 numbers are higher than the rest. It DOESN'T mean that a high percentage of the dog is that specific breed. The predominant breeds could be less than 10% each and still be higher than everything else. The chart mom got showed about 90% of his background as "mixed breed" so he truly is a mutt.

For background:
Izzo is about 12 inches tall, no idea how long, 22 pounds, reddish brown with medium long fur and feathered back legs and tail.

The three dominant breeds: Labrador, Chow and St Bernard.

Mom almost fell out of her chair laughing. She suggested that grandma take a camera and tell people Izzo is part St. Bernard. Hahaha

**we were given the Wisdom Panel for free. We have not been otherwise compensated for this blog post and receiving the test did not influence our opinions.

12 comments:

If I remember correctly from my days at the vet clinic, knowing what breed your dog is could be important when prescribing medications too. There are certain breeds that are more susceptible to side effects from some medications.

Wow! Izzo a St. Bernard, Corgi I can maybe see, but NOT St. Bernard. Have to agree with Sometimes Cats Herd You about the *wisdom* panel. I also agree about mutts. Mutts are the best dogs ever. So Izzo be the bestest Mutt you can be.